


just down the hall

by jennycaakes



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Roommates, Secret Relationship, lots of coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7983469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennycaakes/pseuds/jennycaakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gale didn't expect having Madge Undersee as a roommate would be this normal. He also didn't expect to fall in love with her, but whatever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> finally getting around to posting this here! one of my favorite series to write, I hope you like it!

Having Madge Undersee as a roommate wasn’t as bad as Gale thought it was going to be. 

After Katniss and Peeta moved in together Madge didn’t have enough to pay her rent all on her own and Gale conveniently had an open room. Thom wasn’t too excited about having a girl in the apartment but stopped whining when he realized he wouldn’t have to pay as much rent now that it wouldn’t be split between two and instead three people. And Madge really wasn’t all that bad.

Mostly she kept to herself. Madge helped out with laundry and dishes and every once in a while would record something on TV in the living room, but the truth is that Gale rarely saw her. She was working crazy nursing hours and Gale supposed that he was too, overseeing construction on a new gym downtown, so they barely had time to see each other.

She was a nice presence, though. Soothing in a way, knowing she was there. It wasn’t as though Thom and Gale were messy people, but she had her own little touches that brightened up the apartment. 

For example, they started having flavored coffee creamer with the seasons. Madge herself was a big fan Snickerdoodle flavor but she sampled mostly all of them for the boys to try as well. And the apartment started smelling… good. Not that it smelled bad before, but with Madge came a few candles that really changed the atmosphere. 

Some nights she would be out in the dining room pouring over her cases, her golden hair tied up in a messy bun as her eyes frantically scanned over her files. Other nights she’d be curled up in the living room with a book. Sometimes she’d even offer to cook for them and the three of them would sit down together like a family of sorts. 

So yeah, having Madge Undersee as a roommate didn’t suck completely. 

One Friday night Gale got back from working late to find her at the dinner table with letters scattered across the wooden surface. She looked up when he entered and smiled sweetly. 

“Long day?” she asked, and Gale grunted in response. 

“What are you doing?” he countered, gesturing to the letters. “Are you playing Scrabble? By yourself?”

Madge laughed, shrugging her shoulders and looking at the table again. “I found it under my bed,” she said. “Not sure who it belonged to, but I haven’t played since I was a kid.” Gale kicked off his shoes by the door and hung his coat on the rack, crossing the room to get a better look at the game. “Figured I’d pull it out.” 

The smile slipped from her face as she sighed, scooping all of the letters into her hands to put away.

“What are you doing?” Gale asked. He sat down at the other side of the table. “I’m great at Scrabble. Let’s play.”

Madge arched an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do,” he said with a smile. “Let’s play,” he said again.

* * *

Thom was at his girlfriend’s house that night, Gale found out as they played, meaning he probably would be gone all weekend. _CHAOTIC_ , Gale spelled out with a smile, earning double points for landing on a certain tile. 

“Again?” Madge huffed, jotting down his score. 

“You keep setting me up, Undersee,” Gale said, laughing. “If you put me near a double word, I’m _going_  to use it.” 

She shuffled around her letters for a bit before lighting up. Coming off of one of Gale’s old words she spelled out _SEVERAL,_ having the V land on a triple letter score. Smiling like Gale had earlier she tallied up her score as well.

They’d been playing for hours. Eight o’clock had turned into ten o’clock, glasses of water had turned into glasses of wine. It was going on midnight and Madge was starting to yawn, but she was determined to beat him.

True to his word Gale was an excellent Scrabble player. They’d taken turns winning one game after the other, and were currently tied. She rubbed at her eyes and stared across the playing board sleepily.

Gale laid out his next word. _WARP_ , earning him way too many points for being such a small word.

“Damn,” Madge murmured under her breath. She rubbed her eyes again.

Gale watched her as she fiddled with her own tiles, trying to come up with some sort of word. But her eyes kept drifting shut, and Gale couldn’t help but laugh a little. “How about we resume play in the morning?” Gale offered. “You’re falling asleep,” he said as she forced her eyes open widely. “I don’t want to win due to you passing out.”

“You’re not winning at all,” Madge said sleepily. But eventually she agreed that pausing the game would be the best way to determine the real winner.

It was a struggle getting Madge to stand considering she wanted to curl up at the table and fall asleep, but Gale moved to help her to her room. He didn’t spend a lot of time in Madge’s room, or any actually, and the door was hardly ever cracked. So when he walked her to her door and she allowed him entry, he was surprised at how… messy, it was.

Okay, not really that messy. But she put on an air of cleanliness absolutely always. She would scold Thom for leaving dirty dishes in the sink and would have a fit when Gale left the wet clothes in the washer for too long.

“Jeez, Undersee,” Gale said as she climbed into bed. “Ever heard of cleaning?”

“It’s been a long week,” she muttered. Gale laughed again and started for the door, preparing to say goodnight, when she stopped him. “C’mere,” she said said softly. Gale hesitated, but eventually crossed the room to her. She sat up on her bed and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thanks for tonight,” she whispered. 

The angle was awkward but Gale hugged her back regardless. “It was fun,” he admitted. She didn’t pull away. “Madge?” 

“Sorry,” she murmured. As Madge moved backwards to her bed she grabbed his shirt, pulling him with her. “Lay with me.” Again Gale hesitated, yet still found himself sliding into bed beside her. She looked at him through tired blue eyes and smiled, causing his stomach to feel warm. “Goodnight,” she whispered. 

Gale reached up, brushing her messy hair from her face. “Goodnight,” he whispered back.

* * *

Gale knew, in all reality, that he should’ve just waited until Madge fell asleep. Then he could have left her room without it being weird. But she fell asleep almost instantly and he found himself mesmerized in the way her chest rose and fell gently, and then he fell asleep soon after.

But now he was awake. 

It was nearly ten in the morning and Madge was still sleeping. He hoped she didn’t have to go into work and had forgotten to set an alarm. 

And now it was too late for him to leave, because somehow in the middle of the night their legs had gotten tangled together under the sheets. His hand was still in her hair, fingers lightly twisted through her golden curls. And Madge was resting against his chest, her hand up and her fist curled against his shirt as she slept. 

Suddenly she stirred. Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked herself awake. The thick blankets had been thrown to floor so any chance of hiding how tangled together they’d become was out the window. 

And somehow, Gale didn’t mind. He watched as she woke herself up and smiled. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and Madge was warm and for a brief moment he realized that he never, ever wanted to leave this bed. 

“Morning,” she rasped, slightly pulling away from him. Gale was entranced by her sleepy voice and couldn’t bring himself to respond. “No offense,” Madge said, blinking a few times before laying back down by his side. “But what the hell are you doing in my bed?”

Finally Gale chuckled. “You asked me to stay,” he said. “I must’ve fallen asleep.” 

“Mm…” she trailed off, letting her eyes fall shut. “Okay.”

Gale wasn’t sure what she meant by that. “Okay,” he echoed. Still she didn’t move. Their legs were still tangled, his hand was still in her hair. He was pretty sure she was falling back asleep. With a deep sigh he unraveled his fingers from her hair and scooted out of bed. “Coffee?” he asked, and she nodded immediately. “We still have to see who won that Scrabble game,” he reminded her as he raced from her bedroom.

With his feet on the ground he realized what a bad idea it was, staying with Madge overnight. Not that he regretted it, because holy hell he didn’t, but it just wasn’t a good idea. 

“Be out in a minute,” Madge said with a yawn. 

She curled into the warm spot that he left and fought off a smile. 


	2. Chapter 2

When Gale came home from work and found an empty bottle of wine on the kitchen table, he instantly knew something was wrong. The air did not feel like a celebration of sorts, the empty bottle was not a sign of victory. It was a sign of failure, a sign of a bad day. 

“Madge?” he called into the apartment. Thom was away on a business trip and they were the only two home for the week. “You here?”

Gale kicked off his shoes and paced into the apartment, finding Madge in the living room curled into a ball. The television was off, she was sitting in the dark with a blanket wrapped around her and an empty wine glass. 

“Hey,” she said. Her voice was thick.

“What’s wrong?” Gale asked immediately, swerving around the couch to take the spot next to her. “Why’re you sitting in the dark?”

Madge turned her head to look at him and the moment their eyes met, hers filled with tears. Before Gale knew what was happening she’d thrown herself at him, burying her face into his chest as hot tears leaked from her eyes. 

Through the incoherent sobbing he could make out a few words. _Work. Patient died. Demotion. Failed test_. It all added up to mean _worst day ever_.

Gale stroked her head carefully and let her cry it all out. They’d become closer ever since their weekend Scrabble tournament (and that time they shared a bed, which neither of them had decided needed to be discussed), but she’d certainly never broken down like this. 

“I’m sorry,” Madge finally choked out, minutes later once all of her tears were gone. “Today h-has been _awful_.” 

Gale didn’t need the details, not unless she wanted to give them. Instead he held her and let he hiccup for air until her breathing resumed normally. 

When Madge finally peeled back with tears still in her eyes Gale lifted his hand to her cheek. “Thom bought cookie dough the other day,” he said gently, brushing his thumb across her skin. “And I’m no master chef or anything, but my pre-made cookie dough cookies turn out to be pretty good. What do you say?” 

A smile blossomed on her face and she nodded. Gale lowered his hand and together they climbed off of the couch, leaving Madge’s blanket and empty wine glass behind. The moment they were in the kitchen Gale poured Madge a glass of cold water. 

“What’s this for?” she asked with a frown.

“You finished off a bottle of wine,” he said, urging the cup into her hands. “Just drink it.”

With a tiny smile she sipped at her water. “It wasn’t full,” she told him. “Definitely under half. I’m only buzzed.”

“Just drink it,” Gale said again, and again she sipped.  

He rifled through the fridge to find the container of cookie dough that Thom had bought (which wasn’t for baking cookies, but instead just eating raw dough, and he’d probably be pissed that they used up the container when he returned from his business trip but whatever) and then set the oven to the appropriate temperature. 

Madge had since lifted herself to sit on the counter, watching as Gale moved back and forth getting out the pans and the cooking spray so the cookies wouldn’t stick. She folded her legs under so she was sitting cross legged, smiling as Gale occasionally looked up at her with a smile.

She was closer to the silverware drawer so she pulled out a scooping spoon for him when he moved over to retrieve one. Before he could get too far she lowered her hand to his shoulder to stop him. “Thank you,” Madge whispered. 

“Cookies aren’t even ready yet,” he countered, grinning in time with her. 

Gale went back to work and he kept conversation light. He moved the tray over to the counter she was on so they could look at one another as they spoke rather than Madge talking to his back. She watched him carefully spooning out similar sized chunks of dough to place on the tray, a serious amount of concentration in his gray eyes and a certain precision as he moved his hands delicately. 

They spoke about Gale’s day instead of Madge’s and he was very good at keeping it light. More than once he made her smile as he talked about the balding old man who thought he knew more about architecture than Gale and would scold him for this decision or that when it came to the building. 

Finally the oven was ready and Gale crossed the kitchen another time to place the tray inside. After setting the alarm he crossed to Madge again, standing in front of her with a smile. If her legs weren’t folded under her he could settle between them, pull her hips toward his. But that was a horrible idea, Gale knew it, so he just stood there.

“C’mere,” she said. Gale frowned suspiciously. “Just,” she laughed, reaching forward, but he was just out of step. “Come here!”

Reluctantly he stepped that little bit closer and Madge reached up, swiping her hand across the side of his nose, which Gale wrinkled in response. She laughed again, drawing her thumb up to her mouth and sucking hard. 

“What–”

“Cookie dough,” she answered before licking her lips. Gale’s eyes followed the motion. “How’d you manage that?” It was harder than he thought to force his eyes back to hers. 

Gale took a forceful step backwards from her, ignoring the slight look of disappointment on her face. Ever since their Scrabble weekend things had been different, he knew that. He’d wait for her in the mornings so they could walk to their cars together. He’d smile when he’d hear her singing in the shower. His eyes would linger on her as she read in the living room.

He _wanted_  her. Since before Scrabble, but even more so afterwards. And sometimes there was something in Madge’s eyes that made him think she felt the same.

But Gale knew it was a bad idea. They were roommates. They had a great harmony as roommates, and stepping past that would be dangerous. It could be horrible. It could go down in flames. And at this point Gale would rather have Madge in his life as a roommate he had immense feelings for rather than ruin something and have her gone forever. 

Her smile had faded by this point. “You okay?” Madge asked. 

Gale cleared his throat, nodding his head. “Yeah.” He backed up until he hit the counter opposite of hers, climbing onto it as she had. “Are you?” he asked. 

Madge looked down at the tiled kitchen floor but nodded, a soft smiling coming to her face. “Yeah.” Thanks to him, her evening had significantly improved. 

When the cookies came out minutes later, not one of them was burned.


	3. Chapter 3

Gale was half asleep as he stumbled into the kitchen to get his morning cup of coffee, but the moment he saw Madge standing there in just her bra and underwear he was instantly awake. 

He averted his gaze as though he’d seen something too pure to process and swung his hand up to cover his eyes. “What the hell are you doing?” he choked out from behind his covered face. She’d been leaning backwards against the counter with her mug in her hands, sipping at her own cup of coffee. “Where the hell are your clothes?”

“Since when are you such a prude?” she countered, a lift of laughter in her voice. He moved forward to the coffee pot, still avoiding looking at her. In the brief moment his eyes had landed on her he’d been able to take in the pale expanse of her stomach, the curves of her hips. The image was going to be in his mind forever. “My clothes were still damp from the wash,” Madge finally continued. “They’re in the dryer now.”

“Don’t you have a robe or something?” he muttered.

His stupid infatuation with Madge certainly would not be going anywhere with her parading around in her underwear.

“You walk around in boxers all the time,” Madge went on, clearly amused by this conversation. “It’s like I’m wearing a bathing suit. Calm down.”

But the fact remained that she _wasn’t_  wearing a bathing suit. She was wearing soft, silky underclothes that Gale would see if he peeled her clothes from her body to burn kisses across her chest, down her stomach. The thought made his hand shake and he ended up spilling some coffee. 

With a huff he reached for a paper towel to quickly wipe up his mess, intently avoiding Madge who was still just lounging around in her underwear. He made a big show of turning away from her to pour his creamer into his coffee (peppermint something this time, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it). It wasn’t until Thom entered the kitchen too did Gale really begin to stress.

“Clothes in the dryer?” Thom asked offhandedly as he made his own cup of coffee.

“Yes. Exactly!” Madge gestured to Gale who was frowning. “Gale’s freaking out like he’s never seen a woman in her underwear before.”

He’d seen plenty of women in their underwear before. Just not _Madge_. 

“I just don’t think you should be walking around half naked,” he grumbled, finally turning to face his two roommate. Thom arched a curious eyebrow at his friend but quickly lifted his mug as to not say anything. 

“Then neither should you,” Madge countered a little angrily. “Jesus, I’m just waiting for my clothes to dry.” She set her mug down on the counter and marched off to the washer/dryer that was hidden in the back corner of the kitchen. She yanked open the dryer and dug around for her work clothes before marching past the two of them again. “Sorry if I’ve _offended_ you,” she nearly snapped. 

Once Madge was in her room with the door shut Thom burst out into laughter. Gale scrubbed at his face and turned away from his friend but Thom couldn’t handle it.

“Jesus, Gale, can you be anymore obvious?” Thom asked, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. “You’re into her.”

“I’m not,” he muttered.

“You _are_ ,” Thom insisted. “Why have I not seen it before?” Probably because Thom was hardly ever home these days, but whatever. Gale’s keeping his mouth shut. “How long have you–”

Thom stopped talking when Madge’s door creaked open and she re-entered the kitchen wearing her nursing scrubs. “Is this better?” she asked, bowing slightly with a look of disdain in her eyes. Gale frowned in response as she reached for her coffee mug again. “I’ll draw up the dress code contract tonight,” she said to them, “we can all sign it and–”

“Jesus,” Gale cut her off with a huff. “Forget it, Undersee. Wear whatever you want.” 

“Like hell I would sign that anyway,” Thom added with a grin. With a victorious flash in her eyes Madge set off to finish getting ready for the day. Thom turned back to Gale who was still looking angry but mostly trying to just fight off the heat in his stomach and the image of Madge in his mind. “You are so screwed,” Thom said, laughing, before disappearing to finish getting ready for the day himself.

With a sigh, Gale acknowledged the truth in that statement. Gale was so screwed. 


	4. Chapter 4

Madge had been sent home from work earlier once it was announced how bad the snowstorm was going to be. Her shift was nearly over and the other workers had been called in early, so they sent her home. Even on her drive back to her apartment the roads were already icy and slick.

So when she arrived to find that she was the only one home, her heart sunk. She dialed Gale’s phone number immediately but he didn’t answer, and with panic coursing through her veins she quickly dialed Thom too. 

“I’m staying at Delly’s,” Thom told her over the phone. “But I made sure to drop off some groceries first. You should be set for the weekend.” 

Relieved that Thom was safe but still worrying about Gale, she dialed his number again. 

In fact, if Madge was being honest, she was more worried about Gale from the start anyway. Not that Thom didn’t deserve her fear, Madge cared for him deeply and they’d become pretty good friends ever since they were forced together as roommates (despite his initial apprehension). It’s just that, Gale…

Madge knew how stupid it was to fall for her roommate, and that roommate being _Gale Hawthorne_  of all people. He was sweeter than anyone gave him credit for, he had a big heart and really cared for people. He was always so kind with Madge, patient. He never said anything awful about the coffee creamer choices she picked out. He always made her smile when she didn’t feel like it.

She liked him. And of course she went into full blown panic mode when he wouldn’t answer his phone.

When the ringing stopped and his voicemail picked up, Madge nearly screamed. “Gale Hawthorne,” she said loudly into the phone, “in case you hadn’t noticed we’re about to get hit by _a horrible snowstorm_. The roads are icy! Which–okay, maybe that’s why you didn’t… answer me…” Madge dragged her hands through her hair as she paced. “Just get home soon, okay?”

She hung up hastily and resumed pacing. She lit a few candles to distract herself and turned on the news, finding nothing that would calm her. Soon an hour had passed and she’d still yet to hear from Gale and the snow was falling faster and thicker than before.

Finally the door swung open and she sprinted to see who it was, relief absolutely consuming her body when she saw Gale in the doorway. He was covered in snow, parts of his hair sticking to his forehead from where it had melted, and his cheeks were a bright red from the stinging wind.

He smiled at her as he looked up from kicking off his snowy boots. “Hey,” Gale said. He held up a few plastic bags. “I wasn’t sure if we had any bread and–” he stopped talking when he noticed how angry Madge looked. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Madge echoed. “What’s _wrong_?” She paced forward and shoved his chest hard, needing to get out some of her pent up energy and frustration. “Why didn’t you come home earlier?” Madge’s voice was very loud. “I was worried out of my freaking mind, you  _dumbass_!” 

Gale blinked a few times, startled at this outburst. “What?”

“It’s icy out there!” she carried on, shoving him again. “I thought you’d been in an accident! And you didn’t answer your phone!” Another shove before Gale finally held up his hands in surrender. “You idiot!”

“Madge, I’m fine,” he said softly. She huffed, stepping away from him so he could move to the kitchen and unload his lags. “I stopped at the grocery store,” he elaborated for his lateness, “which was crowded because of the storm. And I have four wheel drive on my truck.”

Madge was still huffing angrily. “You should have answered my call!” 

Trying not to smile Gale turned back to her, finding Madge with her arms crossed tightly over her chest and a frown on her face. 

“I’m okay,” he said simply. “You didn’t have to worry.”

“Well I did,” she snapped. “You could’ve been–”

Gale strode across to her before carefully cupping her cheeks. Her words failed and she was frozen, dropping her arms from across her chest to hang limply at her sides. 

“I’m okay,” Gale said again, much softer and much more gently than before. His thumbs brushed across her skin and the anger seemed to seep from her body. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” he said. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Madge forced out. Her eyes darted to his lips and as if he sensed this Gale licked them, causing her breath to get caught in her throat. Slowly her hands lifted to his shirt, grabbing it in fistfuls. “Don’t scare me like that again,” she breathed. 

“I won’t,” he whispered back. “I’m sorry.” 

Just as Madge went to press herself on her toes, to pull him closer by his shirt, a particularly loud commercial from the news station Madge left on startled them apart. 

Gale whirled around to the groceries he brought and started unpacking them. He coughed to clear his throat but his voice still sounded thick. “I picked up some new coffee creamer,” he said with his back to her. “Thought we could try it.”

The blush on Madge’s cheeks wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Gale echoed. He was determined not to look at her. His stomach was rolling with butterflies, a feeling he was getting used to when he was around Madge but not _happy_  about it. She was his roommate, he had to remind himself daily. “How about you start a pot so we can try it?” 

Madge made herself busy making coffee, relieved that Gale was home safe.


	5. Chapter 5

Gale hadn’t seen Madge for a week considering she’d been on the night shift at the hospital, but one morning when her night rotation was over she strolled in an hour before he was leaving for work with bags under her eyes and her hair tied up in a bun out of her face. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her, disheveled and exhausted but still utterly beautiful. 

“I’m going to sleep for the rest of my life,” Madge told Gale as she passed him drinking his morning cup of coffee. “Wake me up for dinner.”

“Who said I was making dinner?” Gale questioned, receiving a dirty look. He laughed again before nodding his head. “I’ll wake you up for dinner. But that doesn’t sound like sleeping for the rest of your life.”

“I’ll go back to bed after,” she told him. 

She waved over her shoulder and disappeared down the hallway. Gale leaned back against the counter and smiled to himself as he drank his coffee (the coffee creamer this week was hazelnut, safe and normal). He missed seeing Madge in the mornings, he was looking forward to her getting back on a normal schedule. 

Only a few minutes passed before he heard the shower turn on and Gale couldn’t help but laugh again. He wondered if she got in a proper shower at all this week. As he lounged about and drank his coffee Thom ran out of his room muttering something about being late and left without getting his own coffee, which certainly was going to hit him later on. 

Turning off the coffee machine a few minutes later Gale suddenly heard a loud banging noise coming from the shower, followed by a very loud curse word.

Gale was lucky he’d already placed his mug down on the counter or he would’ve turned and spilled the burning liquid all over himself. He sprinted to the bathroom, knocking a few times before clearing his throat.

“Madge?” he called loudly. “You okay?”

“ _Shit_ ,” he heard again. He knocked another time and then heard a whine. 

“ _Madge_ ,” Gale repeated sternly.

Then he heard the shower turn off. A few seconds of shuffling happened before the door was pulled open and Madge was on the other side. She was haphazardly wrapped in a towel and there were still suds in her hair and she looked properly grumpy. She was also bleeding from a long gash in her forehead.

“I fell asleep,” she muttered. 

A laugh bubbled out of Gale before he could stop it. “Let me fix it,” he said.

Madge pulled open the door more and with a huff and lowered herself to the nearby toilet seat. Gale started fiddling through the cabinets, looking for the necessary supplies to patch her up, partly wondering if she should get the rest of the soap out of her hair first.

“I can do it myself,” Madge told him, her eyes threatening to close. 

“So you can fall asleep and get rubbing alcohol in your eye? Or leave your wound open and bleed out to death?” Gale asked. “No, you can’t.” 

“It’s–it doesn’t even _hurt–ahh!”_ Madge hissed as he dabbed at the deep gash. What had she even hit that cut her forehead open? “Careful!”

“You’re the one who fell asleep in the shower,” Gale said, carefully wiping up the blood. He fiddled around with bandages and tried his damned hardest to ignore the fact that Madge was sitting in front of him wearing nothing but a towel. “I almost went into hospital work,” Gale told her as he cleaned her up. “My mom was a nurse for a while, taught me a lot of little tricks.” Madge winced as he dabbed cream onto her cut. “Just not my thing.”

“Hmm,” Madge hummed, not knowing this. She watched him sleepily as his fingers worked with careful precision on her cut. He didn’t need to know she’d face planted into her razor which was the reason for the cut. “Stitches?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. Though it’s not going to be pretty for a while.”

“How will I ever survive?” Madge asked, eliciting another laugh from Gale. She smiled, always liking the sound of his laughter. Finally he’d taped down the bandage and stepped away, admiring his work. “Thanks,” she said softly.

He reached up, carefully touching the bandage to make sure it was going to stay. He brushed a few strands of her wet hair behind her ear. 

“Of course,” he responded, just as soft as she had. 

Madge sat there, getting cold in just her towel, still dripping wet, and smiled up at Gale who was looking at her with gentle eyes. “You’re going to be late for work,” she murmured. “Because of me.”

A grin stretched across his face. “Worth it,” he said back. Gale took a step backwards, still grinning. “Get some sleep, Undersee. I’ll see you for dinner.” 

Fighting off a blush she nodded her head, watching as he walked back down the hallway to leave for work. If she hadn’t been smiling so hard she might have fallen asleep in the bathroom a second time. Madge finished rinsing out her hair, careful not to get her bandage wet, before changing into some soft pajamas and climbing into bed. 

Despite the most awkward interaction with Gale, she was happy to start getting back on the same schedule as him.

 


	6. Chapter 6

When Thom found out that Gale was into Madge, he wasn’t all that shocked. He was mostly surprised that it had taken him so damn long to notice it. He noticed, in the next few days, that Madge was similarly into Gale. 

They would share glances that would last just a second too long. They would light up when the other said their name. It was a fucking romcom and Thom wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. He had Delly and Delly did not live with him and he was not looking forward to his two roommates hooking up while his girlfriend was far away in her own apartment. 

Tonight was movie night and Thom couldn’t say that he was excited. It was something that Gale had chosen, meaning it was going to be good because he knew the balance between plot and action, but they were going to be _all over_  each other. The worst part was that neither of them even realized it. 

“Don’t touch me if you have butter on your hands,” Madge muttered after Gale had taken a handful of popcorn, swatting his hand away from her shoulder as he went to stretch out. 

Gale rolled his eyes before wiping his hands on his basketball shorts before returning to stretching out, placing his arm behind Madge’s shoulders. It started off just on the top cushion of the couch but throughout the movie it had drifted lower and lower.

By the time the lights came back on Madge had dozed off, buried into Gale’s chest as he aimlessly toyed with the ends of her hair. 

She startled awake at the loud closing credits before groaning, burying her face back into Gale’s shirt. “C’mon, Undersee,” Gale said begrudgingly, slowly forcing himself to his feet. “Let’s get you to bed.” With another groan Madge stood too, using Gale for support as he guided her down the hallway to her bedroom. 

When Gale returned to the living room Thom was sitting there with his arms crossed over his chest. “Did you tuck her in and kiss her goodnight?” Thom asked. Gale grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it in his friend’s direction. “Oh, come on! Aren’t you two hooking up yet?”

“No,” Gale snapped. “We aren’t. There’s nothing there.”

“ _C’mon, Undersee,”_ Thom mimicked, “ _let’s get you to bed.”_ Gale chucked another pillow at him that Thom ducked out of the way this time. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Gale,” Thom said. “You two seriously aren’t together?”

“I said no,” Gale snapped another time. “Leave it.”

* * *

But it just kept getting worse, Thom could _not_  leave it alone. 

He’d come home from work to find Madge sitting on the counter with Gale nestled between her legs as though it was the most natural thing in the world. During meals that they all sat down to together Thom started making mental bets on who would reach across and grab the other’s hand first.

Signs of them were absolutely everywhere. 

It wasn’t until one morning when Thom was up earlier than usual did he find Gale sneaking out of Madge’s room. He was half clothed and his hair was a disaster and Thom stopped him in the hallway.

“Not together my ass,” Thom said.

“We’re–” Gale looked down at himself and sighed. He was wearing sweatpants but his chest was very bare. “We’re not,” he said for the millionth time, sounding defeated. “We fell asleep talking.”

“Whatever,” Thom said, shaking his head. “I don’t care if you are, Gale, I just don’t want you to lie to me.”

Gale groaned, dragging is hands through his hair and messing it up even more. “We’re not together,” Gale said. “But you’re right, I’m into her, so can you just leave it alone?” Thom was taken aback by Gale’s admission, as well as the sadness on his face. “It’s bad enough I can’t get her out of my head but you don’t help by bringing it up every damn day. Okay?” 

Thom let out a short breath, side stepping so Gale could walk past him. With another sigh Gale disappeared into his own room, presumably to get ready for the day.

It wasn’t much later that Madge emerged from her room, looking happier than usual. Plus she was wearing her pink scrubs, her least favorite of all, so Thom couldn’t just ignore the smile on her face. She dug through the fridge to pull out the coffee creamer (chocolate donut this week, because Madge insisted) and poured herself a glass of coffee. 

“You’re chipper this morning,” Thom pointed out.

Madge arched an eyebrow at him. “I slept well,” she said.

“I’m sure you did.” 

If these two idiots didn’t figure it out soon enough, Thom was going to have to do something about it himself. 


	7. Chapter 7

Rifling through the mail Friday evening when Gale got off from work, he felt his heart sink into his stomach. Buried between bills and appointment reminders Gale found a scented pink envelope inviting him to _the Union of the Mellark and the Everdeen Family._ A wedding invitation.

The second he was inside Gale threw the mail on the table and started off for the pantry, digging through until he found an unopened bottle of wine in the back. He popped the cork at once and poured himself a hearty glass to drink from.

It wasn’t until Madge arrived about half an hour later did he realize the bottle was almost empty. “Are you drinking without me?” she called into the apartment. Gale swayed on his feet as he stood, moving back to the kitchen where Madge had poured herself a glass from whatever was left in the bottle. “Hey,” she said, smiling when her eyes found him.

He smiled too, using the wall to keep him up. “Hey,” he murmured back.

She lifted the now empty bottle as well as her eyebrows. “What’s the occasion?” she asked. Gale shrugged, motioning toward the kitchen table. With her glass of wine in her hand Madge walked to check what he was talking about. She found the invitation in a matter of moments. “Katniss and Peeta picked a date?” she asked. Gale tipped his head forward, missing the way her face fell.

“I mean I knew they’d been engaged,” Gale said airily, his eyes drifting elsewhere. “I just thought…” 

Madge lowered the invitation back down to the table. She quickly lifted her glass to her lips and too a few big swigs of the wine before looking up at Gale, still using the wall to support himself. “Are you still in love with her?” Madge asked. Gale visibly startled at this question. “Is that why you’re drinking?”

“Shit, Madge,” Gale answered, shaking his head. “No. Abso _lutely_ not.” Madge lifted her cup to her lips and continued drinking, unable to look at him. Her heart felt heavy. That must be why Gale never made any moves, because he truly wasn’t interested. “I’m not,” Gale said again, striding toward her on unsteady legs, desperate to have her understand this. 

“Whatever.” She turned to find another bottle of wine, considering the one they’d just finished off was empty and she needed more alcohol in her system to have this conversation, and her own glass was quickly becoming empty as well. “Then why–”

“Because my best friend is _getting married_ ,” Gale said loudly. “She’s–she–Katniss never wanted to get married or have a family, and that’s _all_ I’ve ever wanted, and she…” he trailed off as Madge paused, turning back to look at him. “She’s getting what I want,” he said. “And I’m no where close.” Gale sighed, shrugging his shoulders another time. “So I thought I’d have a drink to celebrate my failure in my life’s ambition.”

Madge’s face flickered with a smile. “How about another?” she offered sweetly.

* * *

Since Gale had already had so much to drink he slowed down a bit, but Madge was keen to catch up to him. It was a Friday night, neither of them worked tomorrow, and Katniss and Peeta were getting married while the both of them were single.

So yeah, having a drink seemed alright.

“God,” Gale finally groaned at one point. “I fucking hate weddings, Madge.” 

“Oh yeah?” she asked. “Why’s that?”

Gale started counting on his fingers. “Wedding gifts. Bachelor parties. Wearing a suit. Reminding everyone I’m still single. _Dancing_ , I am _so fucking bad_ at _dancing_.”

Madge nudged him, a smile lighting up her face. “I’m a good dancer,” she said. “We can practice.” She slid from the kitchen counter where she’d been perched and darted into the living room despite Gale’s call for her not to. It was just a few minutes later that soft jazz music filled the air, and Gale tipped his head backwards in a laugh. She must’ve turned on a music station. Soon Madge reappeared in the kitchen, looking at him thoughtfully. “May I have this dance, Mr. Hawthorne?” she asked.

Gale laughed again, shaking his head. “Don’t call me that,” he mock-scolded her. 

With Madge still in her scrubs and Gale still in his work clothes they came together, her hands latching behind his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“Dancing isn’t so hard,” Madge told him quietly. “You just have to sway to the beat.” 

“Yeah,” Gale whispered back. It wasn’t so hard. 

They were quiet for a few minutes following, slowly swaying to the soft jazz music Madge had put on without exchanging any words. It was comfortable. It was warm. 

Gale ignored the thrumming of his heart and pulled her closer by her hips. Madge sighed readjusting her hands behind his neck as she pressed her cheek to his chest. She reached up then, her fingers brushing the ends of his dark hair.

Gale let out a shuddering breath, “Madge.” Her simple touch had caused his stomach to jolt. She peeled back slightly and looked up at him with wide blue eyes. “Don’t,” he breathed.

“Don’t what?” she challenged, her fingers still toying with his locks. 

Gale struggled against himself, needing her closer but knowing this was bad, that this was getting dangerous. But truthfully, Gale knew it had been dangerous from the start. When Madge had raced to turn on music he knew it was going to end up like this. He just couldn’t fight it anymore. 

“I want you,” he rasped. Madge’s eyes widened. “But we can’t. It’s not a good idea.”

“You’re right,” she hummed, swinging her hips just a little closer to his. “It’s a great idea.” 

“We’re drunk,” Gale said, ignoring her statement. Yet still he held her close, loving the warmth of her pressed against him. “And we’re _roommates_.”

“I don’t care,” Madge countered. “I want you, too.” Gale’s eyes fell shut again as he took this in. He was hyper aware of everywhere she was touching him. Her fingers still teasing his hair, her chest pressed to his, her hips close by his pull. Her neck was arched as she was straining to look into his eyes. “Gale,” she whispered.

With his walls finally broken down with want and desire he opened his eyes, bending down slowly and carefully pressing his lips against hers. Every time he imagined kissing Madge it was never this sweet or this slow. In his mind it had been all fire and passion, clashing teeth and desperate tongues. This was gentle, this was like breathing new life into a dying soul. 

Emboldened by a breathy sound that Madge made he bent deeper, moving his hands from her hips to cradle her cheeks, and as if sensing this change Madge unlatched her hands from behind his neck to instead grip his shirt, tugging him closer. When the need for air became too much Gale finally broke away, still holding her close. His nose brushed hers and the haziness in her eyes from drinking had all but vanished. 

It was as though both of them had been waiting so long for this moment that neither of them knew what to say next. 

Madge moved first, her hands sliding up his chest until finding the highest buttons on his shirt. Her fingers moved swiftly, popping each button from their place. It wasn’t until she was halfway down did Gale react.

“This is a bad idea,” he tried again, and Madge stopped. Her hands stayed put on his shirt and she looked up at him again. “We shouldn’t do this.”

Madge blinked a few times. “Why not?” she finally asked. Gale opened his mouth and closed it, shaking his head. He wanted to say something about being roommates again, something about drinking, but nothing was working. Eventually Madge started working the rest of the buttons out of their holes. “Tell me to stop,” she murmured, moving more slowly than before. “And I’ll stop, Gale.” 

But he couldn’t tell her that, so he didn’t. 

Instead, when the last button was undone, Gale worked quickly to get his shirt off. Madge scrabbled for his undershirt before pushing it up and over his head as well. Being shorter than him made it easy for her to press kisses to his bare chest, moving lower and lower until he stopped her.

“Not here,” Gale breathed. 

He pulled her up and tangled his fingers with her, tugging Madge toward his bedroom. He’d barely pulled the door shut when he spun to find Madge had kicked her pants off and was now pulling her top off, exposing her pale skin to him. Gale strode across the room and nipped down her neck gently, getting more breathing panting from Madge as he went. She fumbled with his belt before ridding him of that, and soon his pants were pooling around his ankles as well. 

Kicking them off he lifted Madge into his arms, marching her over to his bed and lying her out carefully. Gale watched as her dark eyes crawled up his body, watched her chest rise and fall as she waited for him to come closer. 

After taking all of her in Gale climbed into bed with her, doing as she had and kissing his way up her stomach. He removed her bra with ease and Madge sighed, arching her back as he kissed between her breasts. Madge couldn’t stand it much longer and tangled her hands in his thick hair before pulling him up to kiss her again. 

Distracted by her mouth Gale was easily rolled onto his back by Madge swinging her hips. “Madge,” he rasped, and she paused to pin her forehead to his. “Are you sure?” 

She answered with a chaste kiss before rocking her hips into his. With a groan that was not his own, Gale forgot all of his hesitation when it came to Madge.

* * *

Gale only tipped his head slightly toward his bedroom door when he heard Thom come home, but truthfully he couldn’t care less about his other roommate at the moment. Madge was awake but sleepy, pressing warm open mouthed kisses to his chest that stirred a fire in the pit of Gale’s stomach he didn’t want to fight. 

With his fingers tangled in her messy hair Gale pulled Madge’s naked body flush against his with his freehand. “We should some sleep,” he exhaled. 

Madge nuzzled his chest with a smile on her face. “You’re not so bad at dancing,” she whispered, receiving a throaty chuckle from Gale before he pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. She fell asleep to Gale tracing patterns lightly across her skin.


	8. Chapter 8

Madge was already in the kitchen with her morning cup of coffee (vanilla creamer this week, thank God) when Gale emerged from his room. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Thom wasn’t anywhere near he strode in her direction, tipping her chin up and kissing her quickly.

“Good morning,” Gale murmured before dipping down again.

“Morning,” she murmured back, a sly smile creeping onto her face. Gale grabbed her mug from her hands and took a sip, almost as if he was deciding if he should get his own cup or just share with her. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” Gale answered. “Would’ve been better if you were there, but–”

“Stop,” Madge said with a little laugh, taking her mug back from him. With a smug grin Gale stepped away to dig through the cabinet and find his own mug having decided to get his own drink after all. “I just, I don’t think we should until we tell Thom.”

Gale frowned, crossing the kitchen again to get to the coffee pot. “Why’s it any of his business?”

“Because we’re all roommates, Gale.”

He sighed, shaking his head as he poured his coffee. Thom probably already knew, anyway. But Gale supposed that Madge was right. Telling Thom would change the whole roommate dynamic they had going on, and things had been pretty sweet.

After fixing his cup Gale walked back over to Madge, kissing her forehead. “Then let’s tell him,” he said softly.

Madge arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Sure.” He sipped from his mug. His voice was full of sarcasm, “It’ll be a great conversation.  _Hey, Thom. Madge and I have been fucking and we figured–”_

“Is that all this is?” Madge cut him off, her eyes narrowing. She tried to step away but she already had her back against the counter and couldn’t go anywhere. “Fucking?” she asked sharply. 

“No, Madge,” he said quickly. “It’s– _no_.”

“Then I’m sure that’s not how the conversation would go,” she snapped. Madge edged her way out of where Gale was trapping her against the counter with a frown, shaking her head. “You’re right,” she muttered. “Maybe we shouldn’t tell him.”

Gale was exasperated. “ _Madge._ That isn’t what I meant.” Still, she looked sour. She’d crossed the kitchen to the other counter and was leaning against it with her hands crossed over her chest. “Let’s do something tonight,” he said. “Just you and me. A date.”

Madge considered this for a moment before lifting her mug to her lips. “Fine. But I’m not having sex with you after.”

“Well, we can reassess when–”

“ _Gale_ ,” she warned, though there was a smile on her face. 

He grinned, relieved at the look on her face. “Alright,” he said. “What do you want to do? Restaurant? Movie?” Madge’s face filled with disappointment. “Something else?” he asked quickly.

“No, it’s–Gale, it’s _movie_  night.” 

Shit, she was right. Every Tuesday she Gale and Thom would sit down for a movie. It’d quickly become roommate tradition. With a sharp breath Gale tipped his head backwards.

“Tomorrow, then?” he asked, and Madge nodded with a small smile. Gale watched her for a moment before sighing another time. “You’re more than that,” he said softly. More than sex. “You know that, right?”

“Know what?” Thom asked suddenly, emerging from his bedroom and striding into the kitchen. 

“That it’s movie night,” Madge supplied with ease. “ _Yes_ ,” she said redirecting her attention to Gale, answering his original question without making it obvious. “I _did_  know that.” And then she shrugged a little, “I mean, at least I’d hoped.”

Gale hid his smile by taking a drink of his coffee. 

“Looking forward to movie night, then?” Thom asked, oblivious to way Gale couldn’t pull his eyes from Madge. “It’s my pick tonight,” he went on, making himself his own cup of coffee. “Lots of blood and gore.”

“God, seriously Thom?” Madge groaned. “You know I hate those.”

He shrugged, his eyes darting between the two of them. “You’ll survive,” he said. 

Madge forced her eyes from Gale’s and set down her now empty coffee mug. “Well, I should be going,” she said. “I don’t want to be late.”

“Me too,” Gale said, trying to seem nonchalant. “I’ll walk down with you, just give me a minute.” He knocked back the rest of his coffee and tipped his head at his friend, considering Madge had gone to get the rest of her things. “See you tonight,” Gale said.

“Yep,” Thom said, popping the P and rolling his eyes as Gale went to grab his things as well. Gale and Madge _sucked_  at being sneaky. “See you tonight.” 


	9. Chapter 9

Gale sat down first, and when Madge entered the living room she purposefully sat on the entire end of the couch. Gale clenched his teeth slightly and shot a pointed look in her direction but she said nothing. He wanted her closer. They’d been doing movie night as roommates for months now and Madge had been closer. Hell, she’d fallen asleep against him before. 

_From Gale - 8:09 PM  
Move closer_

Madge arched an eyebrow and looked over at him before slightly tipping her head to the side. He could’ve pouted. Thom watched the interaction with a smug smile, sinking down into his own seat as he swallowed back his laugh. 

After paging through Netflix and picking out his movie he turned to Madge, finding her frowning. “I _hate_  these kinds,” she reminded him as the movie loaded. It was something full of blood and guts and no real characters, just plotline. 

“I _love_  these kinds,” Thom said back. If he had to sit through her boring rom-coms (though some were good, he’d give her that), then she could sit through his gore-filled shows. “This is why we have a system.”

Still frowning, Madge lifted a handful of popcorn to her mouth. Her phone vibrated with another text. 

_From Gale - 8:11 PM  
Pleaseeee_

Madge made a face in Gale’s direction and after making sure Thom wasn’t looking he really  _did_  pout. Madge hid her laughter by shoving another fistful of popcorn into her mouth. 

Instead she swung her legs up on the couch, propping them up on Gale’s lap. He looked slightly less annoyed, inconspicuously moving his hand to wrap around her ankle and rub it gently. This would have to do.

After an hour had passed, though, Madge was getting antsy too. She already didn’t like movies like this and Gale had thrown his arm up, stretching it out across as though inviting her to nestle into his side. She spent a good three minutes looking between Thom, who looked smug, the atrocious movie where someone was getting their ribs ripped out, and Gale, who was urging her closer. 

“Alright, Undersee?” Thom asked and she shuffled uncomfortably. “Too bloody?”

“It’s fine,” she muttered. That wasn’t really what was bothering her. She could be out in the theater with Gale, or having a nice dinner, or something. Not all the way across the couch wishing to be closer. “I’ll survive.” 

_From Gale - 9:24 PM  
He won’t care_

Madge started gnawing on her bottom lip. She wanted to bury he face in her boyfriend’s chest and trace her fingers over his palm to distract herself from this stupid awful movie, not keep her distance. She wanted to tell Thom about her and Gale not pretend like they were just friends. 

Eventually Madge sighed, murmuring something about the bathroom. “Should I pause it?” Thom asked, and Madge shook her head. She hadn’t been paying much attention anyway. 

She’d barely slipped into the bathroom, mostly to just kill some time, when she heard Gale say, “I’m going to make more popcorn.” And then after a few beeps of the microwave, Gale ended up in the bathroom with her. Without saying anything Gale tugged her in his direction, tipping her chin up so he could kiss her. “Just sit with me,” he murmured against her lips. 

Ignoring him she dragged her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. Gale groaned into her mouth and rocked his hips against hers, pushing her toward the counter. “We have to tell him,” Madge insisted, though it was very half-hearted considering Gale was still pressing against her. In one swift motion he hoisted her onto the counter so he could burn kisses across her throat. 

Just as her hands started crawling up under his shirt the microwave beeped, signaling that the popcorn was done. Gale exhaled against her throat. “Stay with me tonight,” he whispered, only stepping away when she nodded.

After snatching another quick kiss Gale slipped out of the bathroom to get the popcorn and return to the movie. Madge took a few deep breaths and fluffed her hair before flushing the toilet to make it seem like she went and quickly fake-washing her hands. 

This time she sat closer to Gale considering he had a bag of popcorn and when Gale swung his arm around her shoulder, teasing the ends of her hair gently, Madge didn’t even care if Thom noticed. 

(He did. Especially when Madge nosed her way into Gale’s chest and he tugged her closer, pressing an almost unnoticeable kiss to the top of her head. Thom decided he would wait for them to tell him. He might even act surprised.) 


	10. Chapter 10

When Madge exited her room alone, rubbing her tired eyes, she was surprised to find Gale waiting with a cup of coffee for her in the kitchen. 

Normally they would make their own coffee, considering it wasn’t that hard and they had vastly different opinions on how much creamer one should put in the cup (this week was pumpkin spice, which even Madge had to admit she wasn’t the biggest fan of). But he was holding her mug, extending it in her direction with what looked like a smile he was trying to hide on his face. 

“Morning,” she said cautiously as she took the mug into her own hands. She took a sip, happy that he’d gotten her usual cup just right. Gale reached behind him and grabbed the cup he’d prepared for himself as well before taking a drink. “Everything okay?” she asked.

Gale nodded his head, sipping his cup once before lowering it. “I want you to move in with me,” he said.

Madge smiled into her mug. “We’re already living together you dweeb.”

Gale turned, setting his mug back down. “C’mon, Madge, you know what I mean.” But really, she didn’t, so she kept drinking her coffee. “I want you to move _in_  with me. Into my room.” 

She made a face at him. “Why?” 

They still hadn’t told Thom about them being together and it had been a few months now (so Madge was sure he had at least _some_  idea, but whatever) and Madge liked her room. She was a pretty messy person and had clothes all over the floor and Gale was… clean. They’d probably struggle sharing a room. That, and she wasn’t sure if there would be enough space for all of her crap.

“Because I’m tired of sleeping alone when you’re just down the hall,” Gale murmured. “Because I want to wake up with you by my side, because I don’t give a flying fuck what Thom thinks anymore.” He steps over to her, gently cupping her cheeks and being careful not to spill her coffee. “Because I love you, and I want you to move in with me.”

Madge’s heart flipped in her chest. She couldn’t pull her gaze from his. “You love me?” she asked. 

Gale’s eyes flickered to her lips and he smiled, stepping away from her and reaching for his mug again. “Of course I do,” he said, trying not to make a big deal out of it. In reality his heart was flipping too. “Why else would I put up with all the shitty coffee creamers you picked out?” 

Madge giggled into her mug, sipping and looking away. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “It’s–I mean, I know we already live together but that feels like an even bigger step.” 

“If you want to think logically, I can do that too,” Gale said, leaning back against the counter with a lazy smile. “My room is bigger than yours. I have plenty of closet space and there’s room for another dresser–your dresser. I have my own bathroom, so that’s convenient. _And_  if you move in then we have an extra room that we can either dedicate to work, leisure, or rent out to another roommate so we don’t have to pay as much.” 

Madge arched an eyebrow at him. “You’ve really thought this through.” 

“I _really want_ ,” Gale said clearly, “to _fall asleep_  with you beside me.” 

Madge downed the rest of her coffee and sat it on the counter before crossing to him. She tugged Gale toward her by his beltloops and watched as he placed his mug back on the counter as well. When their hips met he bent down and carefully pressed his lips to hers. 

They were good at not kissing in public spaces, but sometimes they just couldn’t help it. Madge tangled her fingers into Gale’s thick hair and he groaned into her mouth before sliding in his tongue. When Madge pulled away and whispered “ _Okay”_ Gale lost all sense of place, losing himself in her entirely - his hands on her waist under her shirt, the taste of her lips, the feel of her against him.

It wasn’t until Thom started slow-clapping did they part. Madge looked flushed and Gale’s eyes were dark - it took him a moment to look away from the girl he’d tethered himself to. 

“It’s about damn time,” Thom said, finally stopping his clapping. Madge made a little pouty face but Gale couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed, or angry. “Special occasion?” he asked offhandedly, starting for the coffee pot.

“We’re moving in together,” Gale answered before tugging Madge flush against him. He wound his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Well, sort of.”

“Jesus, I was wondering how long you two would wait.” He fished in the fridge for the creamer, making a face when he remembered it was pumpkin, before looking at them again. “I’ve known since that first movie night,” he said. “You two _suck_  at not being handsy.”

Madge wrinkled her nose at him. “Don’t be bitter because Delly doesn’t live here _too_ ,” she said.

Thom smirked. “Not yet,” he teased. 

With Madge settled back against Gale and Thom across the kitchen from them, they talked as they normally did. She smiled – happy that nothing had to change in their roommate dynamic because of this – even happier that Gale was holding her. 


End file.
